Throwback jerseys were all the rage in the NFL at the start of the century, thanks to teams bringing back uniforms that went by the wayside in the 1990s in favor of darker colors (San Francisco 49ers going to cardinal red, Philadelphia Eagles to midnight green). Turns out, fans and teams liked the old colors and uniform designs — even if they were only used as a one-off during the year.
The NFL created the “one-shell rule” in 2013 to improve player safety, requiring teams to have only one helmet color so players would practice and play in the same helmet. Throwback jerseys went by the wayside, as teams that didn’t use stickers on their helmets or had different helmet colors couldn’t don a throwback jersey (didn’t match the helmet associated with it).
Thankfully, the league eliminated the “one-shell rule” in 2021, meaning teams could wear an alternate helmet in addition to their current one. The alternate helmet allows teams to bring back their proper throwback uniforms, which the New England Patriots are already doing with the “Pat Patriot” design — as their throwbacks haven’t been worn since 2012. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Eagles and Tennessee Titans were the next teams to join the throwback revolution.
Nearly 75% of the league has a throwback uniform now, and more are coming with the Washington Commanders, Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints set to reveal new throwback designs in 2025.
Let’s have some fun and rank the current throwback jerseys that were in the rotation in 2024, whether a team uses an alternate helmet or not. Last season was the most throwback designs the NFL had since 1994 — when the league had its seventh anniversary season.
Teams that use home and road throwback jerseys from the same year/time span will be counted together (the Miami Dolphins are an example). This ranking is certainly debatable, especially the one that claimed…
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